The IRS recently released the new 2026 W-2 form.
Just as I predicted in the “OBBBA Tax Breakdown“, the IRS included new boxes for line 12 of the W-2:
TA – Employer contributions to your Trump account.
TP – Total amount of qualified tips. Use this amount in determining the
deduction for qualified tips on Sch. 1-A (Form 1040).
TT – Total amount of qualified overtime compensation. Use this amount
in determining the deduction for qualified overtime compensation on
Sch.

I am a newcomer to Humble Dollar. I didn’t have the privilege of Jonathon’s writing & wisdom through his long career with the Wall Street Journal. So I write this from the perspective of someone only recently introduced to this community.
With recent discussion about “up-votes” and “down-votes”, I just wanted to offer my humble (no pun intended) opinion, and a hope that we can all find some gratitude for this very special place on the internet.

re RDQ’s “down arrows” —> My 1 cent :

Rather than being lost in the middle of a prior post, I thought I would put this more front and center given:

1) it  currently has 7 down votes
2) which prove my point
3) Thanks to David Lancaster for your comment, included below, for what seems to be a “courageous  act” on your part !
 

Why is there “voting” on peoples comments ? If you have a comment,

I posted the following 1-2 days ago within the body of another topic.  Since it has so far garnered  7 down votes, you have
1) proven my point
2) I am making it a post of its own.
3) thanking David Lancaster for being the only one who actually bothered to leave a written comment, see below.
re RDQ’s “down arrows” —> My 1 cent :

Why is there “voting” on peoples comments ? If you have a comment,

When my cardiologist called, she used words I rarely hear. I asked her to hold on as I put my cell phone on speaker so my wife could hear. She repeated, “You were right!”
Many weeks before, after my Apple watch suggested I had Afib, I called my cardiologist, who happened to be on vacation. The doctor on call suggested that I go to a trauma-equipped ER hospital.
I arrived unannounced and explained the reason for my visit.

My friend is an independent IT Systems Integrator. She essentially pitches for tenders from large corporations and government departments for help with new software integration. It’s a very well-paid job, but there can be lulls between contracts. This requires a good deal of business savvy to manage not only the workload and tendering process, but also her intermittent financial situation and the need for constant training to stay relevant.
A woman who has her life together you would think.

I am fascinated by technology these days although I am certainly not a techy. Hey, I remember when a copy machine used a tank of foul smelling chemicals and one copy took forever and then was on damp grey paper. 
New technology at work was once an IBM word processing center using 12” disks. My first printer was dot matrix using a roll of perforated paper and now I’m writing this on the beach using an iPad linked to my iPhone for a world-wide connection. 

From my readings on this site, I seem to be in the minority on a particularly popular and expensive retirement pastime: foreign travel.
Over the years, I’ve traveled a fair part of the world, from wide-ranging business travel throughout Europe and extensive global leisure travel on every continent other than, strangely enough, the Americas (except for the Caribbean). I still travel. For instance, I was in the Canary Islands just off the coast of North Africa for a 60th birthday celebration in February,

The other day, I believe I was bitten on the arm by an insect, which left a fairly large red blotch with a couple of small puncture marks. I assumed it happened while working in our yard. I bought some over-the-counter hydrocortisone to apply to it. After a week, though, it started to look more like a rash.
I decided to visit a walk-in clinic. The physician assistant examined it and advised me to mix hydrocortisone cream with Benadryl cream and cover the area with plastic wrap twice a day.

A recent post on the Forum raised the issue of dealing with a cut in Social Security benefits – hopefully an unlikely or very temporary event. However, something still worth planning for. 
If the status of SS is not fixed, around 2033 benefits could be reduced by 23-24%. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projects a 24% cut by late 2032 for retirees, equating to an $18,100 annual reduction for a typical dual-earning couple retiring in 2033.

I noticed a bit of a trend over the summer at my holiday home. Suzie and I were a part of it, as our 10 year old grandson stayed with us for a large portion of the school holiday period. It was wonderful to see so many grandparents helping out in this way.
Our holiday community is gated and has a large play park with extensive grassy areas and a few soccer nets for the kids.

I worked and earned income from 1963 to 2022. I always saved a portion of my earnings. Some was “parked” in real estate, some in the stock market, some in bonds and some in a traditional savings account.
Every dollar I saved represented many hours of true labor. Some was as a business owner, some as an engineer, some was “sweat equity” in my homes and RVs, and some labor was expended by maintaining a commercial property.

I might be hitting my head against a brick wall, but it’s a rather poor show that “RDQ” gets all the down arrow glory and doesn’t share. Maybe I need a few arrows with this doozy of a post.
Let me roll out my pre-retirement risk credentials. I quit a corporate job when I reached the level of director, with lots of stock purchase opportunities, a high salary, and a solid pension package. I left all that to start my own business—a very risky move,

Almost four years ago I wrote an article about the 2020 OASDI Beneficiaries by State and County report. The report is put out by the Social Security Administration (SSA), and provides a wealth of interesting statistics. Here is the link to the 2024 report where you can investigate detailed national and local data.
Here are some basic numbers for context. As of December 2020, the U.S. population was 329,484,123. Four year later it had grown 3.5%,

I’ve just encountered the first positive financial benefit of officially being retired from the workforce. My car insurance renewal notice appeared in my inbox, and being the person I am, I contacted the insurance company to inform them of my change in circumstances from employed to retired.
What’s particularly noteworthy for those of us just starting retirement is to remember to contact your insurer. Many people might just pay the renewal notice without thinking about updating their information.